Tobacco stick warehousing apparatus

ABSTRACT

The invention consists in an upright conveyor for lifting loaded tobacco sticks in a tobacco-curing barn for placement on spaced pairs of horizontal tier poles.

United States Patent Inventors Buford S. Gregory;

Neal J. Gregory, both of RFD #2, Box 156, Danville, Va. 24561 Apr. 3, 1970 Dec. 7, 1971 Appl. No. Filed Patented TOBACCO STICK WAREHOUSING APPARATUS 7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

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214/5.5,254/1o Int. Cl 865g 65/00 FieldofSearch 254/10;

Primary Examiner-Gerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-Frank E. Werner AllorneyL1oyd O. Bonsteel ABSTRACT: The invention consists in an upright conveyor for lifting loaded tobacco sticks in a tobacco-curing burn for placement on spaced pairs of horizontal tier poles.

PATENTED UEC n91:

SHEET 2 OF 2 TOBACCO STICK WAREHOUSING APPARATUS An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for loading tobacco-carrying sticks on the tier poles of a tobacco-curing barn or warehouse.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for quickly and efficiently loading the tier poles of a tobacco-curing barn with sticks over which are draped the hands of uncured tobacco with a minimum of handling the tobacco on the stick, with exact placement of the sticks on the tier poles at predetermined spaced intervals, and with a minimum expenditure of hand labor.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for loading the tier poles of a tobacco-curing barn which is simple in structure, one easily fabricated of commonly used parts, one which is inexpensive to construct, and one which is highly effective in action.

These and other objects of the present invention will be apparent from the description which follows and when considered in the light of the appended drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus of the present invention, shown in two parts, showing the apparatus prior to loading;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an upper portion of the apparatus shown in a position of unloading tobacco sticks;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view on an enlarged scale of the lower portion of the apparatus showing its attachment to a pair of tier poles; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the elevating mechanism of the apparatus, a midportion being broken away.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the numerals 10 indicate spaced apart vertically arranged sets of banks of tier poles in a tobacco barn where green tobacco leaves are stored and cured according to known practices in the industry.

The green tobacco leaves are arranged in hands" and draped over sticks of wood of a length to be supported between a pair of tier poles, each stick heretofore being carried by hand and lifted to the tier poles, the height of the banks of poles requiring the use of ladders.

The apparatus of the present invention is adapted for support on the lowest pole 10 and the next pole above it on one side of the aisle formed by adjacent parallel sets of poles.

This means of support is shown most clearly in H6. 3 and consists in an upright support member or flat board 12, the backface of which is shown in FIG. 3.

Means is provided for removably securing the board 12 on adjacent tier poles l and this consists in strap iron inverted hooks 14 secured to the board and loosely hung over the upper one of the two poles 10, as in FIG. 3.

Bars 16 project from the backface of the board 12 below the hooks l4 and loosely engage the underside of the lower tier pole 10 to prevent tipping of the board 12 when the ladder 18 is mounted by an individual in the course of arranging the sticks on the poles 10 or for other purposes. The ladder 18 is of the extension type having a lower section 20 and an upper section 22, as shown in FIG. 1. The ladder l8 constitutes a standard on which the stick-elevating means is mounted and is not an essential in the invention. as any other type of vertical support may be employed. The use of the ladder will be later described in detail.

Means is provided indicated generally by the numeral 17 for adjusting the vertical position of the bar 16. This means consists in several strips of wood swingable individually or in combination into a position between the bar 16 and the adjacent tier pole.

On the upper end of the ladder 18 is mounted a frame 24, H-shaped as seen in FIG. 1 and carrying on its ends pulleys 26 over which travels a pair of ropes 28, 30.

The ladder 18 is connected by hinges 32, 34 to the board 12 for swinging movement from the face-to-face position shown in FIG. 1 to a position at right angles to the board 12 and adjacent tier poles as in FIG. 2, the board 12 not being shown in this view.

Fixed to the free ends of the ropes 28, are the one ends of chains 36 and 38, respectively. Arranged in spaced relation along the chains 36 and 38 are spreader bars 40 each carrying on its free end portion a hook 42.

The chains 36 and 38 are in short sections between adjacent bars 40 so as to maintain the hooks 42 in proper position for support thereon of the tobacco sticks 44 as shown in FIG. 2, the hands of tobacco, as at 46, being only partially shown for reasons of clarity.

Means for elevating the sticks 44 includes the ropes 28 and 30, the chains 36, 38 and the hooks 42. A winch apparatus, indicated generally at 50, is mounted on the lower end of the ladder l8 and includes a'frame 52 supporting a horizontal shaft 54 having deep-flanged pulleys 56 inwardly of its ends.

A crank 58 is secured to one end of the shaft 54. A spring 60 has one end connected to the free end of the section of chain 36 below the lowermost bar 40, as shown best in FIG. 1 and has its other end secured to the frame 52. A similar spring 62 attaches the adjacent end of the other chain 38 to the frame 52. The springs 60, 62 permit the ropes 28, 30 to be pulled tightly after the hooks 42 have been raised to positions over the respective poles l0, and also permit the dog 64 to engage a selected notch 66 in the periphery of a wheel 68 also carried on the shaft 54. The frame 52 includes upwardly sloping cradle members 70 which serve to hold the bars 40 when all of the bars are lowered prior to loading with the sticks 44.

In use, the winch means raises the bars 40 one by one to a position above the frame 52 and a stick 44 is laid across the hooks 42, then the loaded bar 40 is moved upwardly until all of the bars are loaded. Then the ladder 18 is moved to a position at right angles to the board 12 with each bar 40 spaced above the adjacent tier pole 10. Next, the crank 58 is reversed in direction to allow each stick 44 to come to rest upon the adjacent tier poles 10.

As the hooks 40 are unloaded the entire apparatus is shifted along the aisle of parallel tier poles to a new position, and the bars 44 brought down to the frame 52 for reloading.

When the tobacco has been cured, the apparatus may be employed to remove the sticks from the poles, the ladder 18 then serving as a support for an individual moving the hooks 42 into engagement with the respective sticks 44.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for raising a plurality of tobacco sticks in a warehouse and depositing the sticks one each on vertically spaced horizontally disposed parallel pairs of tier poles in the warehouse comprising an upright support member, means for detachably securing said member to adjacent intermediate portions of the lowermost two tier poles of a vertical tier of poles within said warehouse, a standard arranged in face-toface relation relative to said support member and connected to said member for swinging movement from the face-to-face position to a position at right angles to said member, hook means carried by said standard and connected thereto for movement from a position adjacent the lower end of said standard to an elevated position above the lower end of said standard, said hook means being adapted to receive thereon a stick element over which may be draped hands of uncured tobacco, and means operatively connected to said standard and to said hook means for effecting the elevating movement of said hook means.

2. The apparatus as to claim 1 in which said means for elevating said hook means includes a flexible element connected to said hook means and having an intermediate portion traveling over the upper end of said standard, and winch means on said standard receivably connected to an end portion of said flexible element.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2 together with releasable locking means operatively connected to said winch means for holding said hook means in any position of elevated movement.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3 together with spring means operatively connected to said flexible element and to said standard operable to bias said flexible element in any selected locked position.

second chain having an intermediate portion secured to the other end of said spreader bar, portions of said first and second chains traveling one each over said pulleys.

7. The apparatus according to claim 6 in which there are a plurality of spreader bars arranged in spaced relation along said first and second chains, said bars being spaced from each other approximately the distance between adjacent tier poles in said warehouse. 

1. An apparatus for raising a plurality of tobacco sticks in a warehouse and depositing the sticks one each on vertically spaced horizontally disposed parallel pairs of tier poles in the warehouse comprising an upright support member, means for detachably securing said member to adjacent intermediate portions of the lowermost two tier poles of a vertical tier of poles within said warehouse, a standard arranged in face-to-face relation relative to said support member and connected to said member for swinging movement from the face-to-face position to a position at right angles to said member, hook means carried by said standard and connected thereto for movement from a position adjacent the lower end of said standard to an elevated position above the lower end of said standard, said hook means being adapted to receive thereon a stick element over which may be draped hands of uncured tobacco, and means oPeratively connected to said standard and to said hook means for effecting the elevating movement of said hook means.
 2. The apparatus as to claim 1 in which said means for elevating said hook means includes a flexible element connected to said hook means and having an intermediate portion traveling over the upper end of said standard, and winch means on said standard receivably connected to an end portion of said flexible element.
 3. The apparatus according to claim 2 together with releasable locking means operatively connected to said winch means for holding said hook means in any position of elevated movement.
 4. The apparatus according to claim 3 together with spring means operatively connected to said flexible element and to said standard operable to bias said flexible element in any selected locked position.
 5. The apparatus according to claim 2 in which said hook means includes a spreader bar having a hook adjacent each of the ends thereof, each of said hooks being adaptable to releasably receive therein a portion of a tobacco stick disposed in parallel spaced relation with respect to said spreader bar.
 6. The apparatus according to claim 5 together with a pair of spaced-apart pulleys on the upper end of said standard and said elevating means consists in a first chain having an intermediate portion secured to one end of said spreader bar, a second chain having an intermediate portion secured to the other end of said spreader bar, portions of said first and second chains traveling one each over said pulleys.
 7. The apparatus according to claim 6 in which there are a plurality of spreader bars arranged in spaced relation along said first and second chains, said bars being spaced from each other approximately the distance between adjacent tier poles in said warehouse. 